Hi all,
1. IAA Lecture, Wed 19 January, 7.30 p.m. The Webb: Well Worth Waiting For; by Prof Tom Ray, DIAS
Abstract: On Christmas Day, the Webb was launched from Kourou in South America. It is currently on its way to a special orbit well beyond the Moon having undergone a number of very complex manoeuvres. After giving everyone an update, and an explanation of what to expect over the next few months, I will briefly introduce its four main instruments and describe how the Webb can help us understand the birth of the first stars in the Universe and how stars and planets, like our own Solar System, form.
Biography
Tom Ray is Director of the School of Cosmic Physics at the Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies. He began his career in Radio Astronomy at Jodrell Bank before working at a number of institutions including the University of Sussex and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy in Heidelberg. His primary interest is in star and planet formation. Tom is Co-Principal Investigator of the Mid-Infrared Instrument on the James Webb Space Telescope and Co-Principal Investigator on the Ariel Mission to explore exoplanets. In addition he is building a new type of super-cooled detector, known as a Microwave Kinetic Inductance Detector, for optical/near-infrared astronomy. Tom's other interests include ancient astronomical sites, such as Newgrange, and the history of Irish astronomy. In his spare time, he sails.
DETAILS
Topic: IAA Zoom Meeting
Time: Jan 19, 2022 07:15 PM London
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4222002106
Meeting ID: 422 200 2106
The room will open around 19:15 to allow for a prompt start
This talk will also be Simulcast on our YouTube Channel
2. WEBINARs are back! The fortnightly webinars on space and astronomy with Nick Howes and myself resume on Tuesday18 January at 7.30 p.m. Catch up on the latest on JWST and everything else of note 'up there'. Free, all are welcome to watch and ask questions.
YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al0OmVmzVU0
3. Congratulations to Aileen and Donna at AOP: shortlisted for Tourism awards: Good luck!
4. Women and Girls in Astronomy 11 February – 8 March
The Women and Girls in Astronomy project supports events that recognise the role of women in advancing science and encourages girls to consider careers in astronomy. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) strongly encourages activities throughout the year, with a particular focus between two International Days adopted by the United Nations: the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on 11 February and International Women's Day on 8 March.
5. Our Place in Space Project: In conjunction with QUB's ARC and the NI Science Festival
The Our Place In Space project is coming to N. Ireland for three long spells this year: in Derry from 22nd April to 22nd May, on Divis mountain 11th June to 10th July and at the Transport Museum from 17th Sept to mid October.
Details are on the website – www.ourplaceinspace.earth with a nice video of Stephen Smartt and Oliver Jeffers.
The IAA has been asked to provide accompanying stargazing events, and details of these will be announced shortly. Watch this space!
6. Global Planetarium Survey:
The Global Planetarium Survey is now available for distribution in your respective countries/regions to all those active in the field of planetariums and planetarium education. Please spread the word among your networks. The survey link is: https://kuleuven., and is open until the 31st of March, 2022.
7. JWST is almost at its final destination, the L2 stable point!
Some amazing and fascinating information in this article 10 unbelievable but true facts about NASA's James Webb Space Telescope | by Ethan Siegel | Starts With A Bang! | Dec, 2021 | Medium
What will the James Webb Space Telescope look at first? | Space
8. New Video Sky Guide for January.
Paul Evans has produced another excellent sky guide: https://www.facebook.com/groups/IrishAstronomy/permalink/5237962592899037/?sfnsn=scwspmo&ref=share
9. RAS Free Public Lecture – 18th January, 13.00 'Exploring Astronomy and Space Through Philately - A Brief Introduction' by Katrin Raynor-Evans
The first astronomy themed stamp dates to 1887 when Brazil issued a perforated stamp, buff and blue in colour, depicting the Southern Cross, an asterism seen in the southern hemisphere.Even throughout the 1800's, stamps were being printed with astronomical watermarks, such as suns and stars and early stamps issued in Egypt were designed with a pyramid and star. Over the decades, we have celebrated astronomy and space on stamps including comets, man on the moon and events in the astronomical calendar such as solar eclipses. This talk will take you on an out of this world journey looking at and discussing a selection of astronomy and space themed stamps that have been issued all over the world, proving that we can enjoy the wonders of the universe even on a cloudy night. To book your FREE public lecture ticket visit:https://ras.ac.uk/events-and-meetings/ras-public-lectures-and-events/exploring-astronomy-and-space-through-philately
10. ISS:
The ISS will commence a new series of evening passes on 19 January. Full details for your location on www.heavens-above.com, and on various Smartphone Apps
11. Public Engagement Officer at DIAS Dunsink Observatory: closing 20 January
We are delighted to accept applications for the position of Public Engagement Officer in Data and Space Science at DIAS Dunsink Observatory. We are seeking an enthusiastic and creative person to run public-facing events including Ireland's first space-themed escape room, and to develop and deliver new content around the themes of Data Science and Space Science, reflecting the modern, cutting edge work of the DIAS Astronomy and Astrophysics Section.
Interested candidates should submit an application on our online recruitment system by 5pm on January 20th 2022. For more information visit http://dias.ie/public-engagement-officer
12. ESO Summer Research Programme 2022, ESO-HQ, Garching b. München, Germany / or virtually* 4th July - 12th August 2022. Application deadline: 4th February 2022
The ESO Summer Research Programme provides a unique opportunity to students not yet enrolled into a PhD programme, to carry out a 6-week long research project at the ESO Headquarters in Garching (Germany)*. This fully-funded programme will allow the participants to choose between a wide range of research projects covering many areas of astronomy, from planet formation to cosmology. The ESO Summer Research Programme will also provide opportunities beyond research, including lectures, a mini-workshop, and social activities.
| * The ESO Summer Research Programme will be hosted in Garching if all accepted students are able to travel to ESO HQ. If the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow an in-person visit, the programme will be held virtually as it was done in 2020 and 2021. Website: http://eso.org/summerresearch/ ESO - SummerResearch2021 ESO is the European Organisation for Astronomical Research in the Southern Hemisphere. It operates the La Silla Paranal Observatory in Chile and has its headquarters in Garching, near Munich, Germany. |
Poster: http://eso.org/sci/meetings/2022/SummerResearch2022/SummerProgramme2022-poster.pdf. Enquiries: summerresearch@eso.org
13. EASY Teaser
What record does the 5m Hale telescope on Mt Palomar still hold?. Clue: it's heavy!
14. NEW DIFFICULT TEASER
What does the number 695 represent?
NB: One early reply said that it was the distance in LY to a particular object. Well, firstly, that would have been too easy – just search lists of objects until you find one with that figure, in km, AU, LY, or parsecs etc ! I don't make these ones as easy as that! No, you'll have to do a bit of thinking about this one, as usual. When you see the answer your initial subjective reaction will be - Wow, that's amazing! Then you'll think – Well, yes, of course!
No correct answers yet, so here's a clue. The exact figure is 694.83, so it's something we know fairly precisely!
Still no correct answers, so here's another clue: It's to do with the solar system.
15. Non-Astronomical Teaser – ANSWERED at last! Q: What have counties Cavan, Dublin, Tipperary and Wexford uniquely got in common?
Conn Buckley was in again was the correct answer to this one. They each have a letter that does not appear in the name of any other county – the v in Cavan, the b in Dublin, the p in Tipperary, and the x in Wexford. And that does not apply to any other letter. Well done Conn!
Please send all Teaser answers to me at my aol address terrymosel@aol.com
16. Davagh Dark Sky Park and Observatory is open, with pre-booking, and some restrictions.
See https://www.midulstercouncil.org/visitor/things-to-do/star-gazing/davagh-dark-sky-observatory , and https://www.facebook.com/omdarksky/ I'll post any updates here. Or phone 03000 132 132 for changing Covid-19 advice.
17. INTERESTING WEBLINKS (Disclaimer - Use of material herein from various sources does not imply approval or otherwise of the opinions, political or otherwise, of those sources). NB: If the title in the weblink does not indicate the subject matter, I give a brief simple intro before the link. I may also comment about the link afterwards.
COSMOLOGY
The Universe is already in its sixth and final era - Big Think
EARTH & MOON
Asteroids could be approaching Earth undetected, as Nasa finds danger zone (msn.com)
Huge Tonga underwater volcano eruption captured in stunning satellite video | Space
Met Office predicts the collapse of society following climate disaster (msn.com)
Asteroid bigger than any building on Earth to soar past the planet (msn.com)
Oceans Absorb Record Heat in 2021 - The Energy Mix
EXOPLANETS
New planet as big as Jupiter discovered by 'citizen scientists' (msn.com)
Scorching alien planet takes seasons to an extreme (msn.com)
IMAGES
https://www.sciencealert.com/we-now-have-the-largest-and-most-detailed-3d-map-of-the-universe-ever-made
SOLAR SYSTEM
SPACE
China builds 'artificial moon' for gravity experiment | Space
Astronauts found to destroy 54 percent more red blood cells in space (newatlas.com)
18. JOINING the IRISH ASTRONOMICAL ASSOCIATION. This link gives options to join the IAA.
https://irishastro.org/join-the-iaa/ If you are a UK taxpayer, please select the 'gift-aid' box, as that enables us to reclaim the standard rate of tax on your subscription, at no cost to you. You can also make a donation via Paypal if you wish: just click on the 'Donate' button. See also https://irishastro.org/
The Irish Astronomical Association is registered with The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland NIC 105858
DISCLAIMER: Any views expressed herein are mine, and do not necessarily represent those of the IAA.
Clear skies,
Terry Moseley
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